Tag Archives: question

We know, we know: It’s still August, and you’re busy soaking up the last beach rays until next year. Halloween might not be at the forefront of your mind, but it is in ours and it’s less than ninety days away!

In preparation for the holiday, we want to discuss a topic most people shy away from: phobias. People don’t usually like talking about what makes them sweat or itch, or vomit, or generally feel lousy — and we understand that. Here, in this blog post, our goal is to expose the most common phobias, as well as let you in on a few phobias of our own. Some of our phobias include a fear of vampires, instigated by a late-night viewing of 30 Days of Night on FX.

First, though, is a list of common phobias experienced by people living in the United States. This list was originally written by Jeanna Bryner, LiveScience Managing Editor, on March 28, 2011.

10. The Dentist

9. Dogs

8. Flying

7. Thunder and Lightning

6. The Dark

5. Heights

4. Other People

3. Scary Spaces

2. Creepy Crawlies (Bugs!)

1. Snakes

If you want to encourage your fears – or face them – we have “Dr. Killer Driller” (dentist) costumes, snake and bug props, and plenty of mood-setters to transform an ordinary space into something frightful. All are available at www.frightcatalog.com.

Now, for the (potentially) self-deprecating part of this post: our phobias. Although not compiled in list form (who can truly rate their phobias using a numerical system?), they are as follows: running out of skim milk before breakfast; ordering the wrong kind of coffee at Dunkin Donuts; the abolishment of National Cat Day (October 29, super-close to Halloween!); and, finally, getting stuck in rush hour traffic during a thunderstorm. One of us FrightCatalogers is also fearful of numbers 10, 8, 7, 5, occasionally 4, 3, 2, and 1 from Bryner’s list.

So, what does this mean? It means, first of all, that adopting a dog is, perhaps, not a terrible idea. Secondly, it means that Halloween a night which used to be known for its pranks and mischief might not be so scary. Halloween is about FUN, candy, haunted houses, hayrides, and corn mazes. It’s about loving the thrill of the scare and daring yourself to, however hesitantly, ask yourself this: What truly frightens you?